(Almost) Burning Down the House

Don’t leave old power banks in office drawers, kids

We had a bit of a scare this past weekend. An old, forgotten external power bank (the kind you use to recharge laptops, tablets and cell phones on the go) spontaneously combusted inside a drawer in our bedroom.

Fortunately, my husband was in the room playing a computer game at the time and was able to quickly put it out.

We called the fire department as a precaution, but they did not end up doing anything but telling us to air the apartment out and not go back inside for at least an hour. (The drawer was full of extra charging cables and other cords that had partially melted.)

None of our neighbors were affected and we were able to safely stay in our home the rest of the night.

However, the responding fire fighters did not take the damaged battery with them, so it is now sitting in a metal box our on our balcony in case it decides to go for Round 2.

We can’t take it to the normal electronic recycling dropoff points because it is already damaged and at-risk of reigniting. It is now considered hazardous waste and has to be taken to the a BSR recycling center for disposal.

The nearest center that accepts hazardous materials (I’m talking car batteries, old lithium ion batteries and old paint, here – not nuclear waste) is about 5 kilometers away and we don’t have a car. So, it will sit on the balcony until tomorrow when I have time to take it out there on the S bahn.

For anyone reading this, let this be your warning: Don’t keep old lithium-ion batteries or power banks!

If they are not being used regularly, take them to an elegible recycling point. Notably, before it was damaged, I could have taken it to any of a number of dropoff points at local businesses. (in Germany most Media Markt and Saturn locations are required to accept old electronics for safe disposal.)

Follow these guidelines for safe storage and use of the power banks you currently use.

• Never use damaged or swollen power banks
• Avoid charging with defective or non-original cables
• Don’t use power banks in direct sunlight or extreme cold
• Never charge under pillows, blankets, or in tight spaces
• Don’t charge the power bank while it’s charging another device (unless manufacturer-approved)
• Store your power bank in a dry place at room temperature
• Avoid leaving it in a car during hot summers or freezing winters
• Use the included pouch or case if provided, and avoid scratches or moisture

Have your home electronics gone rogue and tried to take you out? Let me know in the comments. I really thought we were very careful about battery maintenance and storage. I hate to think about what could have happened if this occurred when we were asleep or not at home.

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What I’m Reading

If you haven’t been able to tell, I’ve been on a bit of a “learning everything about AI” kick lately. And I have been dragging everyone I know – online and in person – through it with me. The article below, from Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, highlights important ways AI tools are being used to supporting investigative journalism. And, no, they aren’t using AI to write or draft the articles.

The second piece, from the English edition of El Pais, highlights how the energy crises brought about by the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran are pushing Europe toward more investment in renewable energy.

Renewable energy installations reached another record high last year, growing by 15.5% worldwide. Electricity storage, a crucial complement to solar and wind power, is set to double globally this year. And electric car sales have skyrocketed since spring in major European markets. In the Nordic countries, internal combustion engine cars (gasoline and diesel) are now practically nonexistent. In Portugal and Belgium, fully electric vehicles already account for one in two new cars. In France and Germany, one in three. Even in Spain, which is lagging behind, there are already 400,000 electric cars on the road: although it is behind, the main Iberian market also seems to be catching up.

Read more at the links below.

–Nieman Lab: “Uber agents,” undercover AI personas, and other ways newsrooms are using AI in investigations

–El Pais English: Middle East conflicts push Europe toward a second energy crisis in five years

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What I’ve Been Working On

Over on my Berlin blog, I highlight the ways that Europe is finally openly acknowledging the extent of Russia’s “hybrid warfare” targeting NATO and the EU’s support for Ukraine.

On Medium, I wrote another piece about AI, examining whether large language models (LLMs). like ChatGPT and Claude can really be considered artificial intelligence.

–Alte Frau – New Life: New War Doesn’t Look Like the Old War

–Medium: Are LLMs Really AI?

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